World's First Search Engine for Clean Drinking Water Also Fights Plastic Bottle Pollution

Consumers report that the prevailing reason why they buy bottled water is "convenience." Anyone can search online for the nearest gas station, coffee shop or nail salon, but when it comes to thirst, what options does one have? Open Google Maps and search “water fountain” — or ask Siri or Alexa, “Where can I fill up my water bottle?” No one has ever indexed the locations and prices of clean water around the world ... until now.

Today, "soft(ware) drink company" Tap Projects Inc. launches its namesake app, Tap — the world’s first global search engine for clean drinking water. Tap says as long as people carry a reusable bottle, they will never have to buy bottled water again.

From Amsterdam to New Delhi to Los Angeles, Tap helps everyone find water by connecting it to the Internet. Tap’s free app geolocates users to the closest water refill stations, empowering everyone to #Drinkdifferent by knowing where to fill up their own bottle. The app’s network includes free public drinking fountains, bottle refill stations such as those in an airport, and water “ATMs” where people purchase “unpackaged” water to refill an existing container. The app could allow countries such as Wales to fulfill their ambitions to truly become "refill nations."

The app also helps drives awareness, foot traffic and sales for businesses in the rapidly growing Tap Authorized Refill Network, which is composed of over 34,000 cafes, restaurants and other businesses in 30 countries around the globe — including Shake Shack, Umami Burger, sweetgreen, Van Leeuwen, Dr. Smood, Bareburger, Barry’s Bootcamp — that’s more locations than Starbucks globally. The goal is to grow to millions of Tap refill locations worldwide.

“Our team has one mission: to save Earth and the people on it,” shared Samuel Ian Rosen, founder and CEO of Tap. “Approximately one percent of Earth’s water is fresh and accessible. By 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population may face water shortages. Water is a basic human right, but it will be priced as a commodity as we face global scarcity. People around the world will use Tap to find the cheapest, cleanest water, thereby decoupling our need to quench thirst from the plastic bottle causing horrific pollution. Water will be to the 21st century what oil was to the 20th century. Cleaning up our planet and preventing further climate change is one of the largest economic opportunities of the next decade.”

With Tap, thirsty consumers can simply open the app and filter the closest Refill Stations by whatever they crave, from unfiltered tap water to sparkling or flavored water. Together, Tap and its network of refill partners aim to free consumers from the marketing veil the water industry holds over our most essential resource. Globally, humans buy approximately 1,000,000 water bottles every minute, yet less than 10 percent of the world’s plastic is properly recycled.

Today, powered by its network of influencers, celebrities, entrepreneurs and brand partners, Tap invites the world to #Drinkdifferent and pledge not to purchase single-use plastic water bottles for 30 days. The average American purchases 167 water bottles a year — roughly one bottle every two days. In only 30 days, the #Drinkdifferent social movement could save 4.8 million plastic bottles from landfills and our oceans, even if just one-percent of Tap’s social media reach completes the pledge.

“Barry’s is working on reducing single-use plastics across its studios,” stated Vicky Land, VP of Communications and Brand Strategy for Barry’s Bootcamp. “Being part of the Tap app is an opportunity to support our efforts for progress on a broader scale.”

Additional Tap features include:

Refill Station profiles — Find additional information about refill stations, like contact information and other products or services they offer.

Refill Station preferences — Filter through Refill Stations by selecting the water type like flat, sparkling, purified, or chilled. Users can also filter through types of Refill Stations such as public fountains, water ATMs, or pet-friendly.

Tap’s current Refill Network includes:

34,000 Refill Stations in popular cafes and restaurants, and more

30+ Countries

7,112 Cities

"Umami Burger is proud to support sustainable initiatives,” added Sebastien Silvestri, Chief Operating Officer of Disruptive Group at sbe. “We are thrilled to work with Tap and further support their mission to reduce the amount of single-use plastics ending up in landfills.”

Launched in 2006, Sustainable Brands has become a global learning, collaboration, and commerce community of forward-thinking business and brand strategy, marketing, innovation and sustainability professionals who are leading the way to a better future. We recognize that brands today have… [Read more about Sustainable Brands]

Sign up for SB Newsletters

Get the latest personalized news, tools, and virtual media on a wide range of sustainable business topics in your inbox.